Jazz Calls The Tune In The Lehigh Valley Impresarios Using It To Lure Baby Boomers

April 10, 1987|by PAUL WILLISTEIN, The Morning Call

A mainstay of jazz in the Allentown area has been the King George Inn, where the Dave Roper Trio has played for some 16 years. The trio, with Charlie Siegfried, bass, and Nick Diehm, drums, plays 9 p.m.-1 a.m. today and 9:45 p.m.-1:45 a.m. tomorrow.

Roper is skeptical about the renewed interest in jazz. "I don't really sense a groundswell. It don't think it's going to become popular music again ever. But I do think that people who do like it are loyal to it . . . Jazz embraces all sorts of music. I don't think there's a satisfactory narrow definition of jazz. There's Rob Stoneback's Big Band and Alan Gaumer. They're certainly jazz. Now, jazz has a classy connotation. It's not part of its history, but it seems to be what it is now."

"The jazz societies have helped tremendously," said Sammy Anderson, WKAP-AM personality and host of "The Star Series of Jazz" 3-5 p.m. Sunday. "The Pennsylvania Jazz Society, the New Jersey Jazz Society, the Fugowees - all these people all along have been booking nationally known musicians to appear in this area."

Anderson's show is one of the few Valley-originated radio programs featuring jazz. WZZO-FM has "Champaign Brunch" 8-11 a.m. Sunday, which mixes jazz, new age and acoustic. "I think a lot of people, especially a lot of college grads, were exposed to jazz when they were in college by their roommates or people in their dorm," said Gene Romano, program director and assistant station manager of WZZO.

The next concert for the Pennsylvania Jazz Society features the Classic Jazz Quartet 3-6 p.m. April 26 at Stockertown Memorial Hall. Also, next month there's Chicago Rhythm, and the Jass Fest (the society is taking over from Parke Frankenfield) July 26 at Klein's Grove, featuring Chuck Slate's Traditional Jazz Band, and the Les Baer Quintet with Larry Roberts. Doris Olsen, Jazz Society board member in charge of membership, said the group has 500 members. (For information, call her at 258-7476.)

"I think there's more of an interest in jazz among young people, 25 to 32," said Cliff McDermott, who owns the King George Inn with his wife Nancy. How does he feel about increased competition from the new area jazz venues?

"It think it's great. The more, the better. I'm not concerned about competition. Then, you get people who bop around. And the more jazz that we have in the Lehigh Valley, the more you'll get of people coming in to hear it from out of the area. Matter of fact, I'd like to see a jazz group right across the street."